Apparatus for pressing cheese



'Y l625,1? April 199 J., R.

APPARATUS FOR PRESSING CHEESE Filed Aug. l. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet '1 APPARATUS FOR PRESSING CHEESE l 'Filed AuE,1. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 5.5 ll lili zo u 6 g I v mi@ 2 hw @DE MM 4.5- A'as MEYE'G' @wmf y @nl April 19, 1927. 1.625.129

J. n.- MEYEns APPARATUS FOR PRESSING- CHEESE Filed Aug. 1. 1921 4 sheets-Sheet 5 APPARATUS FOR PRESSING CHEESE Filed Aug. 1. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Apr. 19, 1927.

nuiii#nv serres nazaire JULIS R. MEY'ERS, OFEVANSTON', ILLNOS, ASSIGNOR GF ONE-HALF TO C'. A. STR-'AUI- BEL COMPANY, OF GREEN BAY, WSCONSIN, A CREOR-AT'ION'OF'WISCGNSIN.

APPARATUS FOR PRESSNGAC-IEESE.

Application filed August 1, 1921.r Serial No.` 488,869A

rlhis invention relates to an apparatus and process for treating cheese.

itis an object ofthis invention to provide a press that presses a bloclrof Wrapped cheese from all sides with provision forapplying heat to the press` while the cheese is under compression and thus fuse the surface thereof to a protective coating of tin foil or the like which will actas a rind aboutthe cheese preserving it and preventing shrinkage,ias Well; as protecting the same from dirt and the action of the air, as set forth in my co-pending applications for patent relating to process of cheese packing, Serial Nos. 163,166. and: 465,900.

1t is pointed out in the co-pending applications referred to that heretofore in making individual blocks of cheese for sale upon the market, it has been the'custom to initially place curds Within, a large press or mold, and then for a period of from eight to twelve hours gradually or from time to time increasethepressure thereof to press out the Whey, and thereby form a large green cheese. r1`his green cheese is thenrenioved from the press or mold and cut into;` a plurality of pieces to form small blocks. These ysmall blocks of cheese arev then placed in smaller molds and again pressedin order to properly form them. rifterwards` the curing process is completed. It will be obvious that by this process a rind is formed around each of the individual blocks, thus causing considerable Waste in the cheese block. Y

The apparatus and process disclosed in this application was invented by me to afford means for effectively fusing the tin foil or other protective coating to the siX- sides of a block of cheese, so effectively that the individual blocks of cheese Will be covered with a protective coating of tin foil or other suitable material which will act asa rind about the cheese, preserving and preventingshrinkage,.as Well as protecting the saine from dirt and theaction of thel air,` andvstil-l be suoli ascan be readily cut through or removed when the cheese is ready to be used, yleaving the cheese in a condition to be entirely consumed and Without. anyof the Waste or loss resulting from the usual rind.

It isa further object of thisinvention to providea practical apparatus` for carrying out my process for treatingthe cheese, as brieflyset forth,l above..

lWith these otherobjects in view r Lilie 2 is a section on the line` 2 2 of Figure is a fragmentary detailview il.-

lustratingcertain features.

Figure 6 is a section onthe line 6,-6 of Figure 1i, showing the latch.

Figure 7 is a section on the line T Tof Figure 1;

Figure 8 illustrates the As vshown on the drawings:

Referring now. to the different figures of the drawing Which illustrates one embodi? ment of my invention, it Will be noted that 1 have provided a supporting platformv 1 from Whichvrise apair of standards 2 and a` shaft bearing standard 3. rlChe platform 1 forms the support for the cheese press which comprises the adjustable and` yield# able. sides Lhadjustable and yieldabl'e ends 5 and bottom 6 Which is inthe form of a door leading through the platform.

TWhile the sides andends of the press may be `variously supported and adjusted, I have illustrated 'a` simple method Which consists in providing screw threaded rods 7. or the like on the sides` and ends of the presscand providing slidable stools Shavingvbearing apertures for receiving the rods, and'depend'- ingheads 9 fitting in cam slots l0 in an .ad justable ring member 1l (seefFig.v bythe heads 9 being provided with annular; shouli ders 12 to overlap the slots and'hold the adjustable ring member in place. rEhe stool members Sare` freely slidable on the rodsI 7, but are constrained in one direction by the nuts 13 and in the other direction; by the yeldable springs. 14. llt istlierefore obvious that: asthe stoolsl 8 are drawn towardeach other, they will act against yieldable abutiinished product. Y

ments which will yield under too excessive strain.

The bottom ol the press is termed by a door member t5 secured to the base l by the hinges l5 and the outwardly operated latch 1G which is operated by the bell crank latch bar l? and the lug 1S during adjustment ol the ring ll tor withdrawing the latch from latching position, a spring lo (Fig. t3) acting to automatically return the latch to latching position after the door has been closed by the lever 19 which is secured on the bracket Qt) dependingl lrom the bot tom ot the plattorni l, the lever 19 being periodically operated by a cam rod 2t slidably supported in a hollow bearing bracket 22 projecting trom the inner side oil the standard find the cam rod is operated by a cani 23 journalled on a shalt ro tatably mounted in a bearing on the bracket 3. The cam is rotated by a worm gear 25 journalled on said shaft adjacent the cani and secured thereto to provide an operatively integral structure. 'l`he worm gear 25 is rotated by means ot the worm 2G supported in the bearing standards fastened on the base l, the worm sha'it being provided with an operating means such as a pulley 28.

The downward pr ":sure upon the cheese is ellfected in the present instance by a recipro eating compression head 2S) yieldingly supported on a pivot pin 30 by means ot a link 3l pivoted thereto and which :is provided with a slot at its upper end for receiving the pin titl and also a compression spring 32 which abuts against the rod to provide a yielding abutment tor the compression head 2l). lior the purpose ot reciprocating the head 2S, the pin 8O is connected to a pitman 33 pivoted to a wrist pin 8l on the worm gear 2:13, the pin 30 being constrained to reciprocate in a straight line by means ot a guide block through which the pin extends, the guide block reciprocating in a guide groove 3G formed by plates 37 secured to the standards 2 in spaced relation by any means such as bolts and bracing bracket 38. rthe inner sides ot the plates may be lined with smooth bearing liners 39, and the ends ot' the guide groove may be closed by the channel shaped members 40 secured to plates 3T in any approved manner. lt is obvious that as the wrist pin 3d on worm gear Q5 is carried around dragging the link or pitnlan 233 therewith, the guide block 35 will reciprocate in the guide `.Qroove and lower and raise the compression head Q9, which ou the lower limits ol' its travel will come into contact with a` block ot cheese in the press and compress the same slightly.

Then the lvertical compression ot the cheese is etl'ccted by the compression head 29, it is also desirable that the lateral and end compressions be etl'ectcd, and to this end l have devised means tor adjusting the ring member tl iter simultaneously shitting the stool members 8 to cause the sides and ends ot the press to coinpress the cheese when the vertical compression is being eitcctcd. 'lhe illustrated means for accomplishing this purpose comprises a lever Lll (see Fig. Si) pivoted intern'iediate its ends to the standard Sl. rthe power arm ll* of the lever Lll on that portion above the pivot is inclined so that as it is struck and shifted as shown in dotted line position by the pin or abutment l2 on the worm gear 525, it will have a gradual movement. rlhe lower arm ot the lever ll extends through a slot in the base and engages in a slot it3 in the adjustable ring member ll.

lt is obvious that as the worm gear 25 strikes and shitts the lever ell, the ring member Atl will be shit'ted so that the head S) on the stools t5 will be drawn into the opposite ends ot the slots l0 causing the sides and ends of the press to respectively approach each other. thus exerting pressure on the cheese trom all sides.

lt is an important feature oit my invention to apply heat to the cheese while it; is being compressed for fusing the outer sur- 'l'ace ther-ech and while the press may be heated in various ways, tor the purpose ot this invention, ll have illustrated electrical heating means. Accordingly the interior part et the walls ot' the press. the compression head and bottom are made ol insulating material (see Fig. in which are embedded high resistance cimductors which are adapted to be connected with a suitable electric circuit. ln the ditlerent tgures, I have illustrated the wires llleading to and from the walls, the bottom and the compression head li'or supplying the current for heating all six sides oi the press.

fitter the cheese has been sudiciently compressed and heated to luse the outer surtace? the door t3 is automatically opened and the bloclt ot cheese drops upon a conveyor il which is in the toi-in ot a belt supported on a roller sustained by a bracket from the base l.

rThe operation is as tollows:

'the operation oit my apparatus is as tollows: A block oit' cheese lo which has been tirst wrappelfl in tin loil or any other suitable wrapper which will be impervious to moisture or the atmosphere, is placed into the press when the parts are in the position shown in the drawings, assuming that the current has been turned on to beat all the parts ott the press, the power' is then applied for rotating the worm gear and cecentric The rotation ot" these parts will cause the compression head 29 to descend upon tbe block of cheese in the press and compress the same, and at substantially the llt) CII

same time the pin 42 will strike and shift lever 4:1 for shitting ring member ll to apply pressure to the sides and ends of thev press. The shitting of the ring member 1l will cause the latch lever operating lug 18 to swing the latch lever 17 for withdrawing the latch 1G, allowing the door to swing downwardly so that the block oit' cheese can freely tall therethrough when the pressure is sutliciently released 'from the sides and ends of the press.

lVhen the cam returs toits initial or starting position, as shown in the drawings, it will strike and depress the rod 21 which will swing the lever 19 for automatically closing the door G ot the press as is obvious and the springs 47 connecting the ring member ll and base l will return the ring mem ber and lever Lll to normal inoperative posii tion.

As will be see-n from the Jforegoing my invention in its broadest aspect comprises an apparatus and process for completing the compression et' the cheese and simultaneously heating the sides of the same which have been previously wrapped in tin foil or other suitable coating and thereby eliect a firm adhesion of the wrapper to the cheese to prevent the formation of a rind on the surface of the wrapped cheese. lt has been my experience that where cheese is wrapped and treated by the use or" this apparatus and process, there has been no waste, and that the entire block ot cheese is edible. lt is' a characteristic of the cheese so wrapped that it can be clearly cut, avoiding tearing of the covering, such as has occurred in the past where the cheese has been merely wrapped with a coating of tin foil without bonding the same by fusion.

It will, of course, be obvious that the disclosure ot this apparatus' and process will enable others skilled in the art to devise means tor heatingthe sides or the wrapped cheese to fuse the cheese to the wrapping, and the numerous details of construction maivv be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this .invention. l therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

l. A press comprising yieldably supported walls having depending lugs, a shift able device engaging` said lugs, a compression head for the press, and means for simultaneously operating said head and shiftable device.

2. In a press, a compression head, a gear for operating said head, a hinged door forming` the bottom said press, and means operated by said gear for closing the door.

3. In a press, a plurality of adjustable walls, a swinging bottom, a device for latching said bottom, and a ring member for simultaneously adjusting said walls and unlatching said swinging bottom.

ll. A press comprising a swinging bottom, adjustable sides, a reciprocating compression head, a rotary device for reciprocating said head, 'and means operated by said rotary device in one position of its movement for swinging said bottom to closed position, and means operated lby said device in another: position of movement for shifting said sides and unlatching said swinging bottom.

5. In a press, a plurality of yieldable and adjustable walls having depending lugs, a ring member having inclined slots engaging said lugs, and means for shifting said ring member for simultaneously expanding or contracting said walls.

6. ln a press, a plurality of adjustable walls having' depending lugs, a ring member having inclined slots Jfor receiving said studs, a compression head, electrical resistance means for heating said walls, and operating mechanism for reciprocating said head and shifting said ring member.

7. ln a press, a plurality of adjustable and heated elements adapted for compressing the cheese, va. compression head adapted for reciprocation between said elements, a swingable bottom for the press, and operating'mechanism for reciprocating said head, adjusting said elements and controlling said swingable bottom.

ln testimony whereof l have hereunto subscribed by name.

JULIUS R. MEYERS. 

